Elazig is the most orderly city of the Eastern
Anatolian region, due to its being recently founded with the name of
Mamurat-ül Aziz in the 19th century by sultan
Abdülaziz to settle some over-population from Harput town. But it's known that
the city has a much older history dating back to ancient civilizations of
Anatolia; Hurris,
Hittites, Urartus,
Byzantines, Seljuks and
Ottomans.
It is situated on a plain near a mountain on 1,020 meters above the sea level and is surrounded by vineyards
and gardens. The city today is also a trading center for crops and livestock.
It's population is approximately 270.000 today.
The Keban and Karakaya Dams on the Euphrates
(Firat) river and their artificial lakes contribute
to the growth and general appearance of this rapidly developing city. Keban lake
is the biggest artificial lake of Turkey. It was started
to built in 1965 and gave the first electrical currents in 1974. Its yearly
production is 7,5billion KW/hour.
The attraction of Elazig is the Byzantine Fortress
of the ancient city Harput, 5 kilometers to the north. There are also several
mosques of the Seljuk
period. Lake Hazar, 25 kilometers south of Elazig, is a fine tranquil site, while
Buzluk Cave, 12 kilometers northeast, is an interesting cave, which remains cool
in the summers and warm in the winters despite the harsh
climate of the city.
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